This is my blog dedicated to New Orleans & Louisiana cooking! I'll give links to great Creole & Cajun recipes and sites, as well as some of my own recipes. I love talkin' New Orleans, food and otherwise! Incidentally, I'm from Detroit. Go Figure. Lets just say I figured out "what it means, to miss New Orleans" and this site helps ease the pain.

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Monday, March 28, 2005

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce

I just made a batch of Worcestershire Sauce that is starting its 2 week aging process. You can use it in place of Lea & Perrins. It has a unique flavor that is sweeter, thicker, and spicier than the store bought variety. It's wonderful in marinades! I adapted this recipe from the Commander's Kitchen cookbook. Tamarind (or Tamarindo) is a pod fruit native to tropical Africa and not so native to most grocery stores. I've found it jarred in paste form in Indian markets and fresh in one really great produce market. The paste is more convenient, but I like working with exotic fresh ingredients, so I've used both.

Combine the oil, onions, chilies, and garlic in a Heavy Dutch Oven (I like Cast Iron), saute until the onions are slightly softened. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 3 hours. Strain. Refrigerate.

**If you like, put this in sterilized mason jars, screw on hot lids tightly, and place in a hot water bath, covering the jars by 1 inch. Boil for 15 minutes then remove and let cool. Check the seals, tighten the lids. Keep in a cool, dark place indefinitely. Refrigerate after opening.

10 Comments:

walnut ketchup I live just up the road from you in Port Austin on the shore of Lake Huron. I made walnut ketchup at the same time I made walnut wine, vin noix. It tastes very similar to Worcestershire sauce, but I shall have to try your version, too.

Looking for some Creole/Cajun recipes ... accidently came across your site. WOW! I love it! Can't wait to read all the links ..... Suggestion: Look in Hispanic markets for fresh Tamarind (or Tamarindo). Once, I lived in theReio Grande Valle and saw it quite frequently in the local supermarkets. Maybe, Hispanic stores in the Detroit area might carry the tamarind pods. Just a suggestion.

You can also find tamarind in block form here: http://foodieloot.ecrater.com(just type tamarind into the search box), along with a lot of hard to find herbs and spices. They have great quality organic spices, and they do free shipping!

Just made this yesterday and used it right away to make chicken and shrimp jambalaya. This recipe is incredible! Next to this, Lee & Perrins just tastes like salt. I ended up cooking this for about six hours and reduced it by half. I strained it through cheesecloth to reduce the grittiness. Absolutely divine!

One more thing... I ordered the syrup directly from Steen's. Four sixteen-ounce bottles with shipping was about $25. The tamarind paste I found at a local Indian market, which had about a dozen jars. The end result is well worth the effort.